Page 3 of Seamus: Unconventional
“Before you go on. Cort, Pres, Harky and Alder will be here soon. You’re gonna have to tell them this whole thing. Cort asks a million questions so it’s going to get old pretty fuckin’ quick. I can read you. If you need to let it go, I’m listening, but if you’re just telling the how, know I’m not the last one on that stop.”
The chuckle that bubbles up from my chest surprises me and my hand reaches for the cup of water. Sore throat is right, it’s not a dying pain but is uncomfortable. “Thanks. I’ll wait until they’re all here so I’m not saying it fifty times.” The water feels good on my throat.
“Good. Mucimi was here and got the dog’s side from them, he’s my brother, one of the freakier freaks and the Prophet for Justice and Teller.”
“I’m not asking because reader seems like enough.” I’ve heard of the seer Indians so I figure ‘reader’ is like that.
Shadow makes a disgusted sound putting question marks in our link. I turn toward him. “They’re enhanced K-9s, you should have asked them or the prophet guy.”
Light makes a huff sound making our young VP laugh. “Can they talk to the dogs here?”
Good question. “I don’t know. Shadow and Light have never been enhanced. The chip is it. We learned that the consequences of groups sharing and thinking together are dangerous in ways that weren’t planned for. Small groups, when it’s a mission, worked well but larger groups headed by Leads with unstable, or malicious intent can be devastating. CIA had both and the program was shut down, or the one we were in was, but Light brought me two chipped K-9. I never expected it, but he communicated with them and they linked in to me within a day.”
His head turns to the side. “Did they lead the attackers right to you?”
I look at Shadow and see him through the chip connection hiding the two. “No, Shadow hid them. They’re still out there.”I see Shadow’s map and shake my head trying to clear the dizzy.
“No, they have our location. They weren’t enhanced, I checked myself. They’ll be here soon if they aren’t here now.” I stop, hearing movement outside the door. I’m tired but need to keep my partners safe and get a chair. If I need to leave quickly, I don't have time for my partners to secure me a second chair for us to modify. They’re good at parts I need but the chair would be noticeable to too many without our tunnel cover. I wonder if they have tunnel cover here. I shake my head clearing it with no dizzy sensation this time. I’m not clear enough and recognize the oddball thinking going on in my head. Noise in the hall and the partners alert means I don’t have to think about wool gathering when I’m obviously not up for even wool plucking. Do you pluck wool or clip it? I never did either.
Chris is up and moving. “Pres, Cort. He’s tired, a little unfocused but awake. A chair modified for him and his dog partners is a concern for him. He’s chipped to them, but I don’t get what that means. The dogs communicate with him like on a hologram board in his brain. I didn’t get a name but it’s not Scott and he has no accent.” The young VP waves his hand back like he’s granting them access. My partners aren’t reacting other than the alert focus so I follow their lead for two seconds.
I’m shocked. “Graywolf, I’m honored.”
The colonel smiles looking relieved. “Yeah. Where do I know you from?”
I hold my smile noticing the giant of a man holding an albino kid on his back. “I’m not sure you do, I was on base in Kuwait for a few months, you were pointed out for me with a classified SEAL.”
He points at Shadow. “Sombrais Malinois X, Belgian Malinois, King Shepherd and Rottweiler that was on base with the white dog a little over a year ago? I was there for a day.”
I nod surprised he’d remember but he’s trained to remember. He was in my history at boot camp as a national hero. “Dark Shadow and White Light. I call them Shadow and Light orLuz and Sombra. Light is Malinois X, King Shepherd and white Malamute. They’re partners not just dogs.”
He nods. “You weren’t on a team?”
My eyes snap to the giant and kid. “No.” I don’t say more because every job I did was classified black ops.
“This is Cort Masters and Alder Ford. Cort is Territory President for Badass West, President of Phoenix Rising and my boss. Alder is President of the Alpha-Bit Security Zone Club that keeps him and the other hundred or so grown Ford’s safe, he’s one of Cort’s seconds, a doctor, pilot, architect, computer whiz, Protector and a million other things. Harper is my ol’ lady and was on her way but she bounced back to Bravo to help out at rehab. My boys like hanging out at the lab with Juan so she isn’t pissed with the callback then cancel. Juan gives them shit to do for a couple of weeks.” The colonel smiles showing his patchwork markings on one side almost as white as the albino kid. I replay what he said not sure I took everything he said in.
I feel my face tighten and wonder if it’s as white as his patchwork. Doctor, pilot…the kid isn’t a kid. “Enhanced?” I look at the pink eyed, white-haired kid looking over the giant’s shoulder.
The whiz kid gracefully slides off the giant and nods walking my way. “Grown by CIA. Only number seven to make it.” His eyes tell the story of his age, intelligence, trials and the determination that got him here.
I nod. “We’re the first with the chip. Others lost control, then humanity and didn’t make it. It didn’t stop them, Light found two more K-9 that are chipped. The program was supposed to be shut down.”
“Fuckin’ CIA crazy. Military no learn to stop trust to CIA dickass.”
I laugh slapping a hand on my chest quick. The unexpected intake of breath causes a cough and reminder of my unused sore throat.
My new little friend is on the bed with his hand on my wrist while his eyes are on the monitor screen up on the wall that shows stat numbers. “Mask you need it. Boss Harper X-ray show paralysis, I tell to stop more test.” He shrugs looking cute while talking like an adult. “You wake, you tell us. Respiratory, other issue you need me to help?” He makes me smile.
“Thanks for stopping more testing. I’m paralyzed and it’s not new to us. No movement means my muscles are weak. We were discharged a year and six, no eight months ago. That’s from the hospital in Germany. I was still healing, building strength. Whatever happened stopped that two months and three days ago.”
“How you know number day you here, VP Chris?” The littlenot-kidis quick.
“The chip. Shadow told me.”
He nods once like I do. It’s weirdly comforting. Maybe the only seven understands me better than most. A new connection would be good for me, us.
“Pres Cort have question. He leave, you rest, I stay to you. Scan to skeleton, brace.”
